Distribution of Gangs by Area Type

Smaller cities account for just 27 percent, and rural counties account for just over 5 percent.

Distribution of Gangs by Area Type

Percent

Larger Cities

41.6%

Suburban Counties

25.8%

Smaller Cities

27.1%

Rural Counties

5.5%

Number of Gangs by Area Type

The annual maximum number of gangs reported since 2006 is displayed by area type.

While larger cities and suburban counties expectedly report higher numbers of gangs, there is also considerable variation within each area type.

More than half of suburban counties and 45 percent of larger cities report 10 or fewer active gangs in their jurisdictions.

A majority of agencies in smaller cities and rural counties report fewer than five gangs.

Annual Maximum Number of Gangs, 2006–2012

Number of Gangs

Larger Cities

Suburban Counties

Smaller Cities

Rural Counties

No Data Reported

2.6%

8.6%

6.5%

12.3%

Fewer than 5

13.7%

26.4%

53.8%

55.8%

5–10

31.5%

24.8%

30.2%

23.9%

11–25

25.5%

21.5%

8.8%

8.0%

More than 25

26.7%

18.6%

0.8%

0.0%

Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.

Estimated Number of Gang Members

Respondents provided information regarding the number of active gang members in their jurisdictions during each survey year.

Over the past decade, annual estimates of the number of gang members have averaged around 770,000 nationally.

The most recent estimate of approximately 850,000 gang members represents an 8.6 percent increase over the previous year.

Estimated Number of Gang Members, 1996–2012

Year

Estimated Number of Gang Members

1996

846,500

1997

816,000

1998

780,000

1999

840,500

2000

772,500

2001

693,500

2002

731,500

2003

710,500

2004

760,000

2005

789,500

2006

785,000

2007

788,000

2008

774,000

2009

731,000

2010

756,000

2011

782,500

2012

850,000

Distribution of Gang Members by Area Type

The distribution of gang members by area type is presented.

Larger cities and suburban counties remain the primary locations of gang members, accounting for more than 80 percent nationwide.

Smaller cities account for approximately 16 percent of gang members, and rural counties account for less than 3 percent.

Distribution of Gang Members by Area Type

Percent

Rural Counties

2.7%

Smaller Cities

15.6%

Suburban Counties

24.4%

Larger Cities

57.3%

Number of Gang Members by Area Type

The annual maximum number of gang members reported since 2006 is displayed by area type.

While larger cities and suburban counties expectedly report higher numbers of gang members, there is also a vast amount of variation within each area type.

Nearly one in five larger cities reported more than 1,000 gang members, compared with about one in ten suburban counties.

Approximately one-quarter of the smaller cities and rural counties reported fewer than 25 gang members—the most frequent response among both groups.

Compared with larger cities, the remaining three area types were significantly more likely to be uncertain of the number of local gang members,
indicated by higher proportions of “no data reported.”

Annual Maximum Number of Gang Members, 2006–2012

Number of Gang Members

Larger Cities

Suburban Counties

Smaller Cities

Rural Counties

No Data Reported

6.0%

23.0%

19.5%

26.1%

Fewer than 25

6.7%

15.8%

28.2%

27.5%

25–50

7.2%

11.5%

26.3%

23.2%

51–100

12.1%

9.8%

11.5%

9.4%

101–250

19.5%

11.1%

9.5%

10.1%

251–500

16.5%

11.7%

4.2%

3.6%

501–1,000

13.0%

6.8%

0.8%

0.0%

1,001–2,500

10.4%

5.7%

0.0%

0.0%

More than 2,500

8.6%

4.7%

0.0%

0.0%

Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.

Number of Gang-Related Homicides*

*Because of the many issues surrounding the maintenance and collection of gang-crime data, caution is urged when interpreting the results presented below.
For more information regarding this issue, see: www.nationalgangcenter.gov/About/FAQ#q5.

The number of gang-related homicides reported from 2007 to 2012 is displayed by area type and population size.

From 2007 through 2012, a sizeable majority (more than 80 percent) of respondents provided data on gang-related homicides in their jurisdictions.

The total number of gang homicides reported by respondents in the NYGS sample averaged nearly 2,000 annually from 2007 to 2012.
During roughly the same time period (2007 to 2011), the FBI estimated, on average, more than 15,500 homicides across the United States
(www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-1).
These estimates suggest that gang-related homicides typically accounted for around 13 percent of all homicides annually.

Highly populated areas accounted for the vast majority of gang homicides: nearly 67 percent occurred in cities with populations over 100,000, and 17 percent occurred in suburban counties in 2012.

The number of gang-related homicides decreased 2 percent from 2010 to 2011 and then increased by 28 percent from 2011 to 2012 in cities with populations over 100,000.

In a typical year in the so-called “gang capitals” of Chicago and Los Angeles, around half of all homicides are gang-related;
these two cities alone accounted for approximately one in four gang homicides recorded in the NYGS from 2011 to 2012.

Among agencies serving rural counties and smaller cities that reported gang activity, around 75 percent reported zero gang-related homicides.
Five percent or less of all gang homicides occurred in these areas annually.

Overall, these results demonstrate conclusively that gang violence is greatly concentrated in the largest cities across the United States.

Number of Gang-Related Homicides*

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Percent Change, Previous 5-Year Average to 2012

N

% Total

N

% Total

N

% Total

N

% Total

N

% Total

N

% Total

Agencies Reporting Gang Activity

992

—

921

—

1,050

—

1,026

—

928

—

999

—

—

Agencies Reporting Gang Homicide Statistics

890

—

768

—

910

—

860

—

739

—

829

—

—

Coverage Rate(%)

—

89.7%

—

83.4%

—

86.7%

—

83.8%

—

79.6%

—

83.0%

—

Total Gang Homicides

1,975

100.0%

1,659

100.0%

2,083

100.0%

2,020

100.0%

1,824

100.0%

2,363

100.0%

23.6

Cities With Populations Over 100,000

1,215

61.5%

1,022

61.6%

1,123

53.9%

1,272

63.0%

1,242

68.1%

1,587

67.2%

35.1

Suburban Counties

477

24.2%

357

21.5%

597

28.7%

439

21.7%

338

18.5%

408

17.3%

-7.6

Cities With Populations of 50,000–100,000

215

10.9%

204

12.3%

274

13.2%

209

10.3%

198

10.9%

255

10.8%

15.9

Smaller Areas

68

3.4%

76

4.6%

89

4.3%

100

5.0%

46

2.5%

113

4.8%

**

Notes: **Not presented because of small base rate. “Smaller Areas” refers to all cities with populations below 50,000 and rural counties combined.